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“Out of all the musical theatre programs in the country, why should I choose Texas State?”

The Musical Theatre BFA program is an exciting new addition to the degree programs offered through the Department of Theatre and Dance at Texas State. Helmed by award-winning Broadway actress/coach Kaitlin Hopkins, this pre-professional program is one of the only musical theatre programs in the country run exclusively by industry professionals. Our customized approach to artist development eschews the traditional “one size fits all” approach of many university training programs and concentrates on the specific needs of each student accepted into the program. Our “triple-threat” curriculum is designed to train and prepare students to work professionally. To that end, our students will audition for every university production, and, if cast, perform in those productions all four years.

Another unique thing about our program is our placement approach. If a student comes into the program highly skilled in ballet, for instance, they will not be required to take beginning ballet. They will be placed in the appropriate level class to further their development and thus, make better use of their time while they are here. We strongly believe that what is unique about each student must be supported by the curriculum, not supplanted by it. Our curriculum is fresh, out of the box, designed by Broadway professionals to train future Broadway professionals. At the same time, each student gets a solid liberal arts education, which we feel is essential for success in the business today. Each student will take (among other things) four years of dance training (ballet, jazz, tap, and musical theatre styles), four years of musical performance, acting, private singing lessons, piano training, music theory, voice and speech, movement, theatre history, and sight-singing, as well as the required university liberal arts core curriculum. A wide range of elective courses are offered in a multitude of other disciplines to round out each student’s customized education.

Mission

To provide a comprehensive education for each student in musical theatre performance which will ultimately prepare them to enter the professional acting arena as working actors upon graduation.

Entrance Requirements

This is a highly competitive program; we only accept 8-10 students per year. Prospective students audition during their senior year of high school. In August 2010 we will hold an on-campus audition before fall semester begins, dates to be announced. Interested transfer students must contact the Head of Musical Theatre to see if there are any available slots in their class level; typically, transfer students require more than the usual 4 years to complete their degee.

Scholarships

Currently, there are a number of scholarships and students who receive at least a $1000 scholarship then qualify for in-state tuition. (For Fall 2009, in-state tuition and fees for 15 credit hours is approximately $3741 per semester.)  For additional information please view the Financial Aid web page. 

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